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by Reaperfan Sun Jul 28, 2013 3:23 amAs for the list in the opening post, I both agree and disagree. Mostly on the basis that "Greatest" is a bit vague of a descriptive term for what I think the list reflects. While "greatest" isn't necessarily inaccurate, I think the term "influential" may be more appropriate. With the exception of maybe Halo:CE, Super Mario World, and TLoZ:OoT, they're all basically the codifiers of major medium-defining genres, or at least the popularizars of said genres that made those genres so big in the modern industry (can't really speak for H:CE because I'm not a shooter fan but my inclination is that the other shooter on the list CoD4:MW fills this role for current-generation shooters, with Super Mario Bros rather than World filling it for 2D platformers, and Super Mario 64 rather than OoT filling it for 3D platformers). Anyway, just a minor nitpick about semantics of mine 
As for my own "10 greatest games of all time," that's rather difficult to come up with. There haven't been 10 truly powerful games in my time. Sure I could name 10 good or even great games, but not many that truly left an impact on me beyond the game itself. From personal tastes, again I would have to work with the word "influential" but say games that were an influence on my personal development as a gamer rather than on the industry as a whole. That being the case, my list would look something like:
5. Final Fantasy VII
The game that made me realize I was a gamer, and not just someone who plays games as a hobby. I'm not sure what it is about this game in particular that triggered it. Maybe the deeper-than-average story, the time investment required, or the way it made me genuinely want to do everything in it and not just clear through the story.
4. Runescape
The first game that made me realize just how deep the rabbit hole of online gaming goes. Again, this is an influential list, and while I enjoyed my time with this game very much, it only is as high on this list because of just how negative it's influence on me ended up being. I almost failed 7th grade as a result of spending too much time on this game. It taught me that gaming can interfere with real world obligations when not paid enough attention to.
3. Pokemon: Blue Version
The first game I played socially. I don't think I really need to elaborate on the details of how all-encompassing this was top children in the mid-ninties. It was the first game that I played to play with other people rather than just for my own enjoyment. It was a bonding experience between me, my siblings, and my friends.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
This game is the first game that made me believe there was more to gaming than the random and nonsensical worlds of platformers where you just ran through obstacle courses. It made me realize that games can tell stories and be immersive and emotionally engaging. It was the first game I felt fear while playing, and the first game that made me want to challenge myself to overcome these fears.
1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
The game that got me into video gaming, set me up along the path of being a Nintendo guy, and coloring my preferences in games towards those that focus on fun first, fantasy second, and to a lesser extent challenge. I will admit this is entirely due to timing and circumstance as it's influence in this regard is almost entirely simply because it came first in my gaming life. The fact that it's actually a genuinely amazing platformer really passed me by at the time since I had no other precedent or developed tastes to base it on.
As for my own "10 greatest games of all time," that's rather difficult to come up with. There haven't been 10 truly powerful games in my time. Sure I could name 10 good or even great games, but not many that truly left an impact on me beyond the game itself. From personal tastes, again I would have to work with the word "influential" but say games that were an influence on my personal development as a gamer rather than on the industry as a whole. That being the case, my list would look something like:
5. Final Fantasy VII
The game that made me realize I was a gamer, and not just someone who plays games as a hobby. I'm not sure what it is about this game in particular that triggered it. Maybe the deeper-than-average story, the time investment required, or the way it made me genuinely want to do everything in it and not just clear through the story.
4. Runescape
The first game that made me realize just how deep the rabbit hole of online gaming goes. Again, this is an influential list, and while I enjoyed my time with this game very much, it only is as high on this list because of just how negative it's influence on me ended up being. I almost failed 7th grade as a result of spending too much time on this game. It taught me that gaming can interfere with real world obligations when not paid enough attention to.
3. Pokemon: Blue Version
The first game I played socially. I don't think I really need to elaborate on the details of how all-encompassing this was top children in the mid-ninties. It was the first game that I played to play with other people rather than just for my own enjoyment. It was a bonding experience between me, my siblings, and my friends.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
This game is the first game that made me believe there was more to gaming than the random and nonsensical worlds of platformers where you just ran through obstacle courses. It made me realize that games can tell stories and be immersive and emotionally engaging. It was the first game I felt fear while playing, and the first game that made me want to challenge myself to overcome these fears.
1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
The game that got me into video gaming, set me up along the path of being a Nintendo guy, and coloring my preferences in games towards those that focus on fun first, fantasy second, and to a lesser extent challenge. I will admit this is entirely due to timing and circumstance as it's influence in this regard is almost entirely simply because it came first in my gaming life. The fact that it's actually a genuinely amazing platformer really passed me by at the time since I had no other precedent or developed tastes to base it on.
